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State of Origin: Boyd Cordner was the only player Brad Fittler knew he was going to pick

Freddy always had belief in his skipper.

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Written ByAngus Reid

Much was made of incumbent Blues skipper Boyd Cordner's form
heading into game one of Origin, and many NRL pundits had actually
called for his demotion from NSW's ranks.

During the Blues' disappointing loss in last year's series, the
Roosters forward showcased his leadership credentials and it seemed
as if he would be at the helm of every NSW outfit for years to
come.

However, a slow start to the Tricolours' 2018 campaign after
bringing in class players such as Cooper Cronk and James Tedesco
led many to tear the team apart, and Cordner was consistently
targetted for his poor output.

St George-Illawarra Dragons' forward Tariq Sims was tipped to
replace the 25-year-old in the Blues squad, while both
second-rowers' statistics were remarkably similar, the Red V's
success had pushed Sims in front of Cordner heading into selection
times.

NSW coach Brad Fittler has revealed that Cordner was never in
danger of missing out on a spot, despite his supposed dip in
form.

“He was the only one I knew I was going to pick," Fittler said
post-match.

"He was fantastic.

“His form wasn’t fantastic, but I gave him a shot as a
16-year-old kid at the Roosters in a trial match (in 2009) and I
was proud to have him as my captain.

“He was a warrior in a game where there wasn’t much glory for
many players at all apart from a few of our outside backs.

“I thought his leadership was outstanding.”

Cordner had a great game against the Maroons at the MCG, and it
was his start that was most impressive.

The Baby Blues rallied behind him and defeated a more experience
Queensland outfit 22-12 in front of over 87,000 fans in
Melbourne.

The skipper finished with 156 running metres, 21 runs and 30
tackles.

Phil Gould, NSW's most successful coach, was one of the more
high profile critics of Cordner.

"I just don't think he's going good enough," Gould told 100%
Footy.

"I've always questioned his impact at that level as well.

"For me, Boyd Cordner's football has stagnated over the last two
or three years.

"He runs the one line, at the one time, every time. There's
nothing varied about his play, (he) never passes the ball.

"He's willing, he's got a great constitution, he's got a great
work ethic, he's very popular among the playing group, but so far
as a game-breaker or someone who in Origin can provide that moment
that can win you a game, I just don't think he's going well enough
at the moment.